Players from the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens watch a video in memory of Guy Lafleur at Bell Centre prior to a game Sunday in Montreal. Lafleur died on April 22 at the age of 70. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP
One of the many things that has endeared Patrice Bergeron to Bruins’ fans over the years is that, though he is a French-speaking native of the province of Quebec, he was always a fan of the now defunct Nordiques as opposed to the hated Montreal Canadiens.
But for Bergeron, Guy Lafleur – a hero of the province who took the torch from Jean Beliveau and Rocket Richard before him – transcended any team rivalries. And it didn’t hurt that he finished his career with the Nordiques.
The Bruins’ captain started off his Sunday morning presser with a tribute to Canadiens’ great, who died on Friday at the age of 70.
“He finished his career in Quebec with the Nordiques and that’s kind of what I remember. I was too young to remember his Montreal days. But I do remember his last game in the NHL in Quebec and the ceremony in Quebec. It’s vague in my memories but I still do remember it,” said the Quebec City native. “He was my dad’s favorite player growing up. So I heard a lot about him when I was coming up and playing hockey and some of the stories, some of the things he was able to do during his career. He was an icon and someone that was, whether you were a Nordiques fan or a Montreal Canadiens’ fan, it didn’t matter. He was an icon. He was someone who was extremely respected throughout the province and I think in Canada as well, so it didn’t matter that he was on the other side of the rivalry.”
While he didn’t grow up watching Lafleur in his prime, he has seen plenty of old clips. A couple of things jump out to him, as they did for everyone who saw Lafleur.
“It’s his speed. The first thing you notice when you watch the old footage. I was too young to really remember him live, but when you watch the old highlights, it’s always the speed. You could tell his skating, even compared to the other guys on the ice at the same time, he’s above average for sure,” said Bergeron. “Then there’s the strength of his shot as well. And obviously the hair, the flow with no helmet was a trademark. Those are the things that stood out for me.”
The Canadiens, playing in their first home game on Sunday since the passing of Lafleur, held a pregame tribute to him on Sunday, but that was just the start of the remembrances. On May 1 and 2, Lafleur’s body will lie in state at the Bell Centre and then on May 3 a national funeral will be held at Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal.
That speaks to the importance of the sport on the culture in Quebec and the entire nation.
“The sport of hockey in Quebec and Canada has a tremendous impact on the lives of many people,” said Bergeron. “I think it makes a difference. It helps people cope with different things in their respective lives. I think what Guy and some of the other greats in Montreal, the Beliveaus and Richards, I think the impact that they’ve had beyond the game of hockey, being able to connect with people and the community, has left a mark obviously and it’s something people remember.”
BRAD MARCHAND has gone 11 games without a goal, but he’s shown some signs he may be ready to break out of it. After going without a shot on net in St. Louis, he fired eight in the shutout loss in Pittsburgh and then had a nice secondary assist on David Pastrnak’s goal on Saturday against the Rangers. But he cannot buy a goal, as evidenced by his hitting the post in an empty net situation late in the game on Saturday.
“He’s fighting it a little bit. But I think Brad’s always going to be confident. He’s been a good player in this league for a number of years now. He knows he can get it done,” said Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy. “He’s still our leading scorer. He made a good play on the rush to (Charlie) McAvoy to Pastrnak, so there’s still some offense coming. He’s had some good looks recently, especially in Pittsburgh, a lot of good looks. But at the end of the day, he probably needs something good to happen for him mentally in terms of the goal scoring department, just like any other player who hasn’t scored for a while. But I’m not too worried about Brad. He’s just got to stay focused and not get frustrated and do something he may regret just because he’s not scoring. He’s still helping the team win and that’s what matters.”
Marchand was on a torrid pace to start the season and kept the team afloat as Cassidy tried to find the right combinations. But his season took a turn when he was suspended for six games after punching and high-sticking Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry. But Cassidy believes he’s found the right level of engagement. He just needs to fight through whatever is keeping the puck out for him, a struggle that is intertwined with the power-play (0 for 33) woes.
“He’s played hard and the right way hard. For whatever reason, the puck’s not going in for him, he’s not finding any holes,” said Cassidy. “And on the power play, it’s been a little different animal running through him with what teams are doing.
“Honestly, I think he’s just overthinking it too much on the power play, trying to make a great play instead of the one that’s in front of him at times. It gets talked about every day and will be again today and he’s a guy that takes a lot of pride when he’s on it. It runs through him, it runs (Pastrnak) when he’s in the lineup, it runs through McAvoy. For that part of it, I’m telling him to take it easy, take a breath. We’ll get going on the power play and we’ll all get rewarded for it.”
AS PLANNED, Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm were out of the lineup for Sunday’s game after making their return from respective injuries on Saturday. Mike Reilly and Marc McLaughlin drew back in. Jeremy Swayman was back in net and Linus Ullmark is expected to go against the Florida on Tuesday.
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